The Weeknd – Call Out My Name

The Weeknd’s new surprise EP My Dear Melancholy, is, in some ways, a return to the dark, anonymous R&B the Toronto songwriter made his name on back in 2011.

The opener, “Call Out My Name,” however, feels like a neat fusion of his styles, operating on a 3/4 march reminiscent of “Earned It,” one of his first true crossover moments. Another difference between the track, and say, a deep cut from House Of Balloons, is that the woman at its center is one we all know.

It’s been speculated that Selena Gomez, Abel’s ex, is being addressed on many of the songs from the new EP, and her presence is not too subtle on this track in particular.

In the second verse, Abel cuts deep into his past lover, “I said I didn’t feel nothing, baby, but I lied / I almost cut a piece of myself for your life / Guess I was just another pit stop / ‘Til you made up your mind / You just wasted my time.” Production on the track is handled by Frank Dukes. Nicolas Jaar is also credited as a writer on the track, though it seems likely he has been sampled.

Listen to the full project here.

Quotable Lyrics:
I put you on top, I put you on top
I claimed you so proud and openly
And when times were rough
When times were rough
I made sure I held you close to me